interview
Island Life - April/May 2011
Photos:
window along with her maths exam
on November 1, 1971. She recalls: “It
near Chillerton, which was supposedly
papers. Instead she explored the option
was a great opportunity, and turned out
haunted.
of journalism, but while still as school
to be a fabulous job.”
worked part-time in a newsagents.
“The residents were happy to talk
Gay’s association with the County
about the ghosts they had there,
Maybe that would be the closest she
Press continued right through until
particularly the one that always comes
would get to being a journalist, until
1996; full time until 1980, before she
out at Christmas. Then I hit on a few
one day she was told a junior reporter’s
left to have daughter Vicky, and then
other ghost stories, with the idea that
job was becoming available on the IW
returning part-time. It was during her
the feature would be used to help fill
County Press.
first stint on the Island newspaper that
the pages for the Christmas edition,”
the subject of ghosts reared its eerie
Gay said.
Her application was successful,
and the week before she left school
head. The idea of writing a ghost book
“After the story was published a few
she passed her driving test, before
was hatched in 1975 when she went to
letters came in from readers telling me
embarking on her career in journalism,
write an article about Billingham Manor,
about other ghosts that were around
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